Carding-machine.



J.- STEWART;

, GARDING MACHINE." APPLICATION IILBD JUNE 21, 1907.

Patented 0011.13, 1908.

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J. STEWART. JARDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 19 07.

Patented Oct. 13,1908.

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there is a great tendency :JAMES'STEWART, OFTGRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

CARDINGLMACH'INE.

Specification of Letters Patent. 4

Patented Oct. 13, 1908.

Application filed. June 21, 1907. 'Serial No. saunas.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns STEWART, a citizen of the UnitedStates ofAmerica, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State ofMichigan, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements incarding-Machines; and I do hereby declare a'full, clear, and exactdescription. of the invent on, such as will the following to be enableothers skilled in'the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in carding machines, and its videimproved the material that escapes from the carding cylinder and rolls,which may be suit-able for use, is returned to the stock and uniformlymixed therewith, to be again carried into "the carding mechanism. Inmachines of this class, as heretofore constructed,

to clog the machine, or to permit the escape of material at or near theplace where the same is dis charged by the conveyer into the feeder. Iam able to wholly overcome these difliculties by the construction hereinshown and claimed.

My invention consists essentially of a conveyer arranged beneath thecarding cylinder and extending to the receptacle material, whichreceptacle is preferably the receiving chamber of an automatic feeder ofany convenient form;

adapted to carry the said useful material, together with theimpurities,.over a continuous surface extending from beneath the carding machine tothe bottom of the feeder and provided with a screen whereby the usefulmaterial is all discharged intothe chamber containing the stock ofmaterial to be fed to the carding machine and incororated therewith, thedevice prevented from clogging and the impurities escape through thescreen, the conveyer being wholly above the said continuous surface aswill more fully appear by reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1. is a side elevation of a device embodying my invention; Fig.2. a longitudinal vertical section of the same; Fig. 3.

a plan view of the same; Fig; 4. an end eleobject is to -pro-' meanswhereby that part of.

for the crude,

this conveyer also I I I vation of the same; and Figs. 5 and 6 enlargeddetails of one of the links of the sprocket chains forming a part of theconveyer.

Like numbers refer to like the figures.

1 represents the main cylinder of a carding machine; 2 the dofl'er, and3 an automatic feeder of any convenient style; 4 the driving shaft ofthe feeder; 5 the apron of the feeder which apron carries the stockupward and discharges the same tomechanism (not shown) for conveying thestock to the carding mechanism; 6 a screen beneath the apron. Thesedevices being common in the art, are not shown complete, it being merelysuflicient to locate the same and show the reparts in all of lation ofmy mechanism thereto.

naled on any convenient supports and prop er-ly located to engagesprocket chains 9 extending parallel to each other and at opposite sidesof the screen 7 and thence horizontally nearthe floor and beneath thecylinder 1. These chains are arranged with their lower portions close tothe floor and screen 7 and parallel therewith and moving toward thefeeder and with their upper portions at a distance above the same andmoving away from the feeder, whereby as the material is the angle wherethe screen 7 and extension join the chains move upward and away from thesaid angle thus preventing any clogging or loss of material. Said chainsare moved simultaneously by means of sprocket wheels 13 on a drivingshaft 12 and engaging the upper or return portions of ,the sprocketchains 9. This shaft is driven by any convenient means, preferably by' asprocket wheel 14 fixed on one end of the same and engaged by a chain 15extending to and engaging another sprocket wheel 16 journaled on a stud18 on which stud is also journaled another sprocket wheel 17 detachablyconnected to the wheel 16 by a clutch 22, the latter wheel beingslidable on the stud 18 to engage and disengage the clutch, as occasionmay require.

The wheel 17 is driven by a chain 20, which connects said wheel with asprocket wheel 21 mounted on any convenient rotating shaft, preferablyon the shaft at, which drives the apron of the feeder whereby wheneverthe, apron 5 stops as in certain kinds of feeding machines, the conveyerwill also stop and thus prevent feeding the recovered material into thebottom of the feeder, while the apron is stationary.

To convey the material from beneath the cylinder 1 over the screen 7 anddischarge the same upon the inclined portion (3 of the screen 6, Iprovide drag members 11 preferably consisting of leather straps althoughflexible or rigid bars might be successfully used. I prefer the strapsbecause they will follow any unevenness in the floor beneath thecylinder or in the screen 7. These straps are attached to opposing linksin the chains 9 by means of flat arms 10 extending from the respectivelinks of the chain, these arms being offset vertically from therespective links to extend over the flanges of the rollers 8, and thenceextended horizontally, to which horizontal portions the straps 11 aresecured.

To guard against breaking the chains, in the event that the strapsshould catch upon any obstruction or a chain should run off the sprocketwheels 13, or from any cause be stopped in its movement, said straps aresevered, preferably near the middle as at 11, and the severed endssecured to each other by means of a lacing adapted to break under anyunusual strain thereon, and less than the breaking strain upon thechains. In operation, the conveyer is put in motion by engaging theclutch 22 by means of the lever 19. The impurities and stock escapingbelow the cylinder 1, will fall upon the floor and be engaged by thestraps or drags 11 and carried up over the screen 7 through which theimpurities will escape leaving the recovered useful material to bedischarged upon the extension 6 of the screen 6, upon which extensionsaid material slides downward against the apron and is carried therebyover the screen 6, thus being further screened and separated from theimpurities which pass downward through the said screen. There being noopening between the screen and the extension 6*, none of the materialescapes, and as it is discharged by the drag members, the latter arecarried upward by the chains and thus the machine cannot clog at thispoint. The apron carries this recovered material up into the mass ofstock in the receiving chamber of the feeder 3, with which stock it ismingled uniformly by the action of the apron and carried back again intothe carding mechanism.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. In combination with a carding machine having cards and a feeder,means for returning the material escaping from the cards to the feedercomprising a continuous surface extending beneath the cards and to thefeeder, a conveyer traversing the said surface toward the feeder andthence upward, and thence in an opposite direction at a distance abovethe said surface and means for operating the conveyer.

2. In combination with a carding machine having cards and a feeder, acontinuous surface extending from beneath the cards to the feeder andhaving therein a screen formed of parallel bars, and a conveyercomprising transversely arranged drags traversing said surface andthence moving upward and thence in an opposite direction at a distanceabove said surface, and means for operating said drags.

3. In combination with a carding machine having cards and a feederprovided with an apron and a case inclosing the apron and provided withan oiening in its side adjacent to the cards, a continuous surfaceextending from said opening to beneath the cards, drags traversing saidsurface, sprocket chains attached to the respective ends of said dragsand arranged with their lower portions parallel with said surface andclose thereto and with their upper portions at a distance therefrom, andmeans for simultaneously moving the lower parts of said chains towardthe feeder.

1. In combination with a carding machine, a feeder having an apron and acase having an opening opposite the apron, a screen formed of parallelbars with one end joined to the case at sail opening, sprocket chainstraversing the respective edges of the screen toward the feeder at theirlower portions and extended beneath the carding machine, and dragsattached to'the chains and traversing close to the screen in onedirection and at a distance above the screen in the opposite direction.

5. In combination with a carding machine and a feeder, an inclinedscreen communicating with the feeder, chains traversing the respectiveedges of the screen and extending beneath the carding machine, flangedrollers engaging the chains, offset arms on the chains, straps attachedto said arms and traversing the screen, and means for simultaneouslymoving the chains.

6. In combination with a. carding machine I and a feeder, a conveyercomprising a pair of chains, flanged rollers engaging the chains thedivided ends of the straps and adapted and separately jonrnaled,sprocket Wheels to break to avoid breaking the chains. 10 engaging therespective chains, a shaft on In testimony whereof I afiix my signatureWhichsaid Wheels are mounted, means for in presenceof two Witnesses.

rotating said shaft, offset arms on said JAMES STEWART. chains, strapsattached to said arms and con- WVitnesses: necting the chains, saidstraps each being PALMER A. JoNns,

transversely divided, and a lacing connecting LUTHER V. MOULTON.

